carpet mill help

Lots of variations. I have tried most of them.

If you are set on PVC pipe you can use a hole saw and cut wood blanks to fit the pipe. The use a 5/8th" forstener bit and center drill the hole. A roller blade wheel bearing will fit in that hole. Once the 5/8 hole is set, re-drill the axle hole to 3/8". The 5/16" axle (and roller assembly) will free spin on the bearing.

I do the same as above but I use two hole saws, and mate the two blanks together with a bearing inserted. The slat them together to make the width/running surface.

E-Z-P-Z

S

 

5/16" steel rod which fits the 8mm roller blade bearings.

S

 

At Lowe's buy the runner carpet. It comes in 27" width and cut to length. You cut it to width of your mill. Flip it upside down and let the dog run on the bottom side. The top side will travel much better. It will be way free to the point I now double layer mine to get the mill movement I like.

Best of luck.

S

 

Good points, slim. I need to try to make one soon.

 

Slight backing at best. A number of years ago it was a lot better option. When gas prices jumped to near $4 a lot of companies that use petroleum based products went cheap/bo-bo. The runner carpet people went cheap with their backing. It is now slightly less than 1/2 of what is used to be. It is a really free mill with one layer and a solid turning mill with it double layered.

S

 

That is about all you need. Go to Stockcarproducts.com or Summit racing. They sell a sheet plastic by the 10ft roll. 24" wide. Cut it to fit. The sliding surface will last forever. Clean the surface with Armor All once every three or four months. Slide like glass.

S

 

That dry erase board may work. I'm thinking it may wear off in the pattern of the dogs stepping. I may be wrong. In time I am thinking there will be two streaks down the erase board. Hope it works.

S

 

I tried a lot of different methods over the years. I even used carpet seaming tape and a hot glue gun. I used a zipper from a conveyor belt as well. I even had one sewn together, slid it over the rollers and completed the side rail from there.

The carpet tape eventually came apart. I think the pull as it came over the rollers is why it did not work. The zipper held for awhile but in time became a drag coming over the roller. If my rollers were solid, like yours, the zipper may have fared better. The sewn together one worked better than the tape and the zipper but had no longevity. The threads wore down and eventually it came apart.

3M contact cement has never given up on me. I overlap about an inch and a half. I spread it liberally on bith sides, wait for it to get tacky, press them together with two piece of 1X4 and brad nail them together. I allow them to dry over night. Never an issue.

Just looking at the picture on the side rails if you bevel/round the edges of the 2X4's on the ends there will be less drag. The back of yours will not be as bad as the roller is inset. The front one could be an issue as the carpet has to come by the open end of the 2X4. My rollers are both inset but I use runner guides on the surface where as your side rails provide the guide.

There is always some side to side movement and that front edge will fray the sides of your carpet/belt.

Looks good. Working a dog is all about what works for working a dog. Way more simple than most would like to make it.

S